Leaves on the Wind: Serenity Flies Again

If you are a fan of television then at some point in time you've come across the name Joss Whedon.  If you're a fan of the Whedonverse then you are aware that many of Whedon's show have a cult following even now, long after they have been cancelled.  You quote the shows and have insanely animated discussions about your favorite episodes yet all fans know one thing: Joss Whedon is a genius, a hero, and breath of fresh air to our television sets.  If you are a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, or, Dollhouse and you haven't watched Firefly don't feel bad.

I've only been a fan for a little over a year but after the first episode I was hooked.  It can be considered a sci-fi show so if your not into that another reason to watch is for the cast itself.  Firefly stars Nathan Fillion (Castle, Desperate Housewives), Gina Torres (Suits, The Matrix Reloaded), Alan Tudyk (Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Disney's Frozen), Morena Baccarin (V, Homeland), Adam Baldwin (Chuck), Jewel Staite (Stargate: Atlantis), Sean Maher (Brian's Song, Much Ado About Nothing), Ron Glass (Barney Miller, Rugrats), and Summer Glau (The Terminator: Sarah Conner Chronicles).  By the way Jewel Staite is by far one of the nicest human beings I've met.  And inappropriate, which is awesome. Follow her or twitter.

Serenity (2005)

Yesterday, Dark Horse Comics launched its six part series "Serenity: Leaves on the Wind" which picks up about 36 weeks after the events of the 2005 movie "Serenity".  Now.  If you're not a comics person that's okay because I am.  I've read it.  I've digested it.  I love it. Its executive produced by Joss Whedon and written by his brother Zack Whedon. The story stays true to the characters and the world that Whedon created in Firefly which we know was cancelled without airing all its filmed episodes.  What is pretty interesting is that much of what's in the comic book is right off of the wish list of the actors.  They have been asked many times in various panels what they hoped their characters were up to.  I think that they would be happy with how they turned out especially since Staite and Baldwin got a special thanks at the end of the first issue. Now as far as story goes, what you need to know is that the crew of the Serenity is still reeling from losing two of its own, Book and Wash (He will always be a leaf on the wind). Just so you know Spoiler Alert from here on down. 

Serenity: Leaves on the Wind #1 Cover

 So many things that fan wanted and waited for in both the series and the movie happen within the first few pages of the comic book.  Kaylee and Simon are together as they were in the end of Serenity, Mal and Inara are FINALLY together, River is now the pilot of Serenity, and Zoe? Zoe is not only pregnant but she goes into labor and gives birth.  The Alliance is looking for the crew after they broke the news about Miranda and the Reavers.  And of course one cannot forget about the Hero of Canton, the man they call JAYNE.  Jayne went to live with his mom.  There's a new resistance forming against the alliance but all in all the Serenity is still the best ship in the verse.

Variant Cover 

The Whedonverse is always willing to continue its stories in comic book form as Buffy the Vampire Slayer is about to start Season 10.  If you remember the television series ended after seven seasons.  Both Angel and Faith also have their own books.  Serenity: Leaves on the Wind has multiple covers so if you're interested you may have to go hunting.  My comic book shop just happens to be the only store in New Jersey to sell the ghost variant cover.

Ghost Variant 

There's Still A Grey on Grey's Anatomy!

If you've been keeping an eye on the Shonda Rhimes hit show then you know the execs at ABC have said that Grey's Anatomy will go on for as long as possible.  Think ER, which lasted fifteen seasons on NBC.  I am pleased to say that E! Online has confirmed that both Ellen Pompeo and Patrick Dempsey have signed new two year contracts which will effectively take them through the 11th and 12th seasons of the medical drama.  At this time Justin Chambers, James Pickens Jr., and Chandra Wilson have yet to sign new contracts.  With Sandra Oh leaving this season Pompeo, Dempsey, Chambers, Pinkens Jr., and Wilson are the last remaining actors from the original cast.

And the Winner of Litter Season is....

Right now we are currently in what I like to call "Litter Season", when all the networks litter our screens with tons of mid-season pickups, most of which are cancelled.  This painful time in television lasts from January to mid March.  Now, not all of these pickups end in disaster.  If you recall ABC's Scandal (created by the Genius that is Shonda Rhimes) was picked up in March of 2012 and only ran for seven episodes.  Scandal is now one of the most successful shows in primetime.  I never like to base my opinion of a show solely on its first episode so now that many of them have run two or three episodes I'd like to announce my winner of this Litter Season:

NBC's Chicago P.D.

Why this show? Good question.  To be completely I only watched the show because of actress Sophia Bush (best known as Brooke Davis on One Tree Hill).  I am not a fan of police dramas such as Law and Order: SVU or Criminal Minds and Chicago P.D. has many of the same elements of those shows after all, it was created by Dick Wolf, the man who is responsible for Law and Order and its spinoffs.  Here's why I think this show will avoid cancellation after Litter Season. SPOILERS BELOW. 

1.) The actors have undeniable chemistry: All of them not just two or three.  With the events that happen in the first two episodes the characters should have some previous connection.  The thing with this cast is that you feel that.  Some new casts take a few episodes to find that connection or that groove. Chicago P.D. has that right off the bat. 

2.) The show goes there in the first episode: A member of their police family dies. In the first episode. After pretty much getting shot in the face. At the end of the episode Antonio's (Jon Seda) son is kidnapped. Yes. They go there. Already. 

3.) It shows both sides of the law: From the very beginning the show acknowledges crooked cops.  Where most police dramas will have an entire story arc about a crooked cop or be surprised by one this show not only acknowledges that they exist but Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) was imprisoned for being one.  Now he runs the intelligence unit, the unit which the show is based around.  It's revealed at the end of the second episode that he was released from prison to work for Internal Affairs.  Should make a very interesting storyarc.  

4.) The first episode brought in 11 million viewers: that's a lot of people 

5.) No one character washes out the other: while the story focuses on Hank the other characters are still present.  You learn little bits and pieces about each one throughout the first two episodes but the writers leave you curious to find out more.  That's a factor that will keep people coming back. 

Chicago P.D., which is a spinoff of Chicago Fire, will still have to work to maintain good, clear story but so far I believe that they're off to a good start.   Chicago P.D. airs on Wednesday at 10 p.m. on NBC.

UPDATE: After further review of the new shows I've decided to award a second place!  And just to clarify this show is just as good as Chicago P.D. and should actually tie, however the way the order of events in the very beginning of the first episode made the first six or seven minutes a little confusing.  But aside from that the show is different that whats out there now and like many great shows its the chemistry of the two leads that makes the show work. Second Place goes to

CBS' Intelligence

Intelligence stars Lost's Josh Holloway and Once Upon A Time's Meghan Ory.  The chemistry between the actors as well as their characters Gabriel Vaughn and Riley Neal remind me of the chemistry between Booth and Brennan on the Fox hit Bones or Castle and Beckett on ABC's Castle.   I truly believe that it's their chemistry that will keep the show afloat.  The story itself reminds me of the Bionic Woman reboot that failed a few years ago, however I think Intelligence has a large enough fan base already so it should see a sophomore season.  Intelligence airs on Mondays at 10 p.m. on CBS. 

What Happened at Downton Abbey?!

Yesterday's Downton Abbey is causing massive amounts of controversy among its fans. Many believe that the show, now in its fourth season, has gone too far. What do I think? Well my dears thanks for asking! In all honesty I do think the show went there but I also think that what upset most of the fans is necessary, although maybe not for the obvious reason. SPOILER ALERT: DO NOT READ THE FOLLOWING IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN EPISODE 4x02 OF DOWNTON ABBEY. 

Its Anna, everyone's favorite Lady's Maid that's at the center of all the hoopla. If you really watch the show you know that Anna is the maternal, friendly one of the servants who is nice to just about everyone who comes through the Abbey. In last night's episode Anna was raped by the servant of a guest who was staying at Downton.  She stayed hidden after the ordeal and was found by Mrs. Hughes.  She brings Anna clean clothes and gets her back on her feet but is sworn to secrecy due to Anna's fears of her husband, Mr. Bates, killing the man and being sentenced to death. The episode ends with Anna walking home by herself as Bates calls after her.

Most are taking issue with the fact that there was a rape at all.  The scenes with the content seemed rushed and cut together in a way that the audience knew what was going on without seeing it, along with Anna's screams in the background. While people are entitled to their opinions I need everyone to realize the time period. Season 4 takes place in 1922. Rape has been happening since early man. The way Anna has chosen to deal with this situation isn't uncommon for the period. 

My issues with this storyline are completely different. Why Anna? There are plenty of other characters on the show (yes its a terrible thing to say but think about it). I think on all television shows each character has their very own thing which I like to call a "Hell Storyline". I would've thought that Anna's hell storyline occurred when Bates was sent to prison.  For an entire season we saw her struggles as she fought to get the man she loved out of a wrongful imprisonment. So why Anna. I think that there are some characters on the show who have bigger fan bases than others and the death of Matthew Crawley changed things for both the fans and writers.  Killing off a major character opens up the doors to the world of "we can really do anything now". Most of you know that season 4 has already wrapped in the UK so those of us who are watching it now live will just have to wait and see how it will play out. 

To wrap it all up I do think that a storyline this deep was necessary.  Downton Abbey is not an untouchable magical wonderland where nothing bad ever happens. Remember Cybil and Matthew? Or that guy who died in Mary's bed in season 1? Things happen at Downton. Part of what makes the show so good is what happens in the aftermath. 

By the way, Joanna Froggatt's performance in the episode was outstanding.  It could have gone very, very wrong but she's made Anna believable from the first episode.  She's a character that you wan't to be friends with which is also why I think the fans are so upset. As I've said I have yet to see the remainder of the season but based on this ONE episode I wouldn't be surprised to see an Emmy nomination in Froggatt's future. 

"Winter is Coming." - My take on Game of Thrones

Being that all of my favorite TV shows are on hiatus I had time to start something new and let's just say that obsessed is an understatement. A few months ago the hashtag REDWEDDING popped up all over my twitter feed (@rebelontheLO) and I knew it was about the HBO series Game of Thrones so I thought that I understood the hype. That being said I had NO FREAKING CLUE what I was getting into when I decided to start the series.  I've come to the conclusion that it is not only one of the best shows on currently but one of the smartest in the last decade.  Based on the book series by George R. R. Martin (which I have also started) GoT is truly for everyone as long as you can wrap your mind around the fact that the fantasy is part of the reality.

If you haven't seen the show its based in a medieval time period with tons of history in the land itself as well as the characters. If you're not a fan of character death the show isn't for you as a major character or characters are killed off every season. I find that to be part of the show's magic, you never know what's coming so it keeps you on your toes. I also appreciate the fact that the female characters are not complete and total idiots in a time where women are second class citizens even if they are high born.  Characters such as Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) and Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey), whom many consider to be a villain, are portrayed as strong, smart, and capable people most times even more than the men.

On a more personal level with a show like GoT I never like to have a "favorite" character because it usually leads to disappointment. This time around, however, I couldn't help myself. The one character who started the series as a shy, timid, and often times mute girl ends up being one of the baddest women on television. Daenerys (Dany for short) Targaryen, played beautifully by Emilia Clarke, is the definition of a smart, well written character. As a viewer you are truly sucked into her story and genuinely want to see this character progress.  She becomes the Mother of Dragons (this is literal...she literally becomes the mother of some dragons) in her quest to take back the seven kingdoms of Westeros. For me anything with dragons is usually a series that I wouldn't normally get into but this show, and in particular Clarke's acting make these imaginary creatures believable.  It is this storyline that I get most excited about seeing with each new episode.

Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryan and her army. Yes ARMY. 

I told you. Mother of Dragons...

On the flip side, the storyline of Tyrion Lannister, portrayed by Emmy Award winner Peter Dinklage, is also one that I find interesting as well as entertaining. Tyrion is one of the few characters who has some type of morals and understands right from wrong yet he is in no control over his destiny.  I usually get excited to see what Tyrion will do or say next because in intense moments it is that character who makes me laugh yet puts things in perspective.

Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister

All in all Game of Thrones is a show that is definitely worth watching.  If you're telling yourself that you don't have the time to start another series the good news is that each season of GoT is only ten episodes long. I can only imagine what's going to happen next season but if it's anything like the Red Wedding its DEFINITELY worth watching.  Game of Thrones Season 4 premieres in Spring 2014 (at this time no date has been announced).

"When you play the game of thrones you win or you die. There is no middle ground." - Cersei Lannister


**Game of Thrones Season 4 will premiere on April 6th at 9 p.m. on HBO